Stretches to Improve Breathing: 10 for Better Lung Power & Posture

Struggling to catch your breath during physical activity, despite your best breathing exercises or stretches to improve breathing … or just feel like your lungs aren’t functioning as efficiently?

Moreover, your respiratory system might need a little help from your muscles — especially those in your abdomen, rib cage, and upper chest, with the diaphragm being a key breathing muscle that supports deeper and more effective breathing.

This dynamic stretching routine is designed to:

• Increase lung capacity and improve lung function
• Improve posture and spinal alignment
  
• Promote diaphragmatic breathing [¹] and abdominal breathing
• Support your body’s ability to take in more air, remove carbon dioxide, and optimize oxygen exchange in the lungs
• Lung capacity can decrease gradually with obesity, age or certain health conditions, but maintaining lung health and practicing these exercises can help slow this decrease.

Furthermore, even just a few minutes a day can result in improved pulmonary function, better oxygen levels, and help your body and mind relax.

Let’s dive in…

Introduction to Better Breathing

Breathing exercises like diaphragmatic, pursed lip, and belly breathing can boost lung function, ease symptoms of asthma and chronic lung diseases, [³] and promote relaxation.

• To start, sit or lie down comfortably. Place one hand on your belly, the other on your chest.
• Breathe in slowly through your nose, letting your belly rise. This trains your body to use the full capacity of your lungs.

With regular practice, you'll breathe easier, promote relaxation and respiratory endurance.

Breathing Techniques to Improve Lung Function

Help maintain positive airway pressure and improve ventilation efficiency.

Inhale through your nose and exhale slowly through pursed lips, like blowing out a candle — easing shortness of breath and improving airflow.

Abdominal (belly) breathing trains your diaphragm.

• Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
• Breathe in slowly, allowing your abdomen to rise. Additionally, this builds strength in your respiratory muscles and helps you take in more air with less effort.

Practicing regularly can increase lung capacity, improve breathing efficiency, and make breathing feel more effortless

If you have a lung condition, check with a healthcare provider before starting.

Benefits of Deep Breathing

• Boosts oxygen levels
• Improves lung function and blood pressure
• Reduces stress and muscle tension
• Helps manage conditions like asthma [²]
• Promotes full-lung expansion to enhance oxygen delivery and physical recovery

Adding just a few minutes of deep breathing to your day can support respiratory health, enhance relaxation, and improve overall well-being.

Dynamic Stretches to Improve Breathing and Lung Capacity

Each of these movements improves respiratory mechanics, stretches the chest wall, and activates the abdominal muscles and diaphragm to help you practice diaphragmatic breathing, breathe in deeper and more completely.

When the diaphragm is less effective, other muscles in the neck, back, and chest can assist with breathing to help maintain oxygen intake.

1. Cat-Cows

• Begin in a 4-point position with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Engage your core. As you breathe in and out during the stretch, feel your stomach move with each breath.
• Arch your mid-back as you lift your head upward.
• Then, tuck your tailbone in and round your spine as you lower your head downward. 
• Repeat the sequence of movement as needed.

This rhythmic flow boosts belly breathing and encourages more complete exhalation

2. Pec to Rhomboid Stretch

• Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, core engaged.
• Extend arms into a T-shape, palms forward. Gently press arms back to open the chest and squeeze shoulder blades. Inhale deeply as you feel the stretch in your chest and shoulders.
• Then exhale fully, clasp hands in front of the chest, and roll shoulders forward to stretch the upper back.
• Open the chest and shoulders to take in fresh air with greater ease.
• Inhale to open the chest, exhale to stretch the upper back

3. Overhead Reach to Toe Touch

• Stand relaxed with your shoulders back and spine tall.
• Inhale deeply through your nose as you sweep your arms out and overhead in a wide semi-circle. Hold your breath briefly at the top of the movement.
• Then, exhale as you reverse the motion, diving down toward your toes.
• Modify your foot position based on flexibility and comfort

4. Warrior Sweeps

• Strengthen your legs and stretch your core with each controlled motion.
• Start in a Warrior Pose with feet 3–4 feet apart.
• Keep your back leg straight with toes angled slightly inward, and bend your front knee comfortably. 
• Make sure you can see your front toes past your knee.
• Face your chest forward and raise both arms overhead.
• Then, hinge at the hips to sweep your arms down toward the floor, brushing your fingertips along the ground in front of your bent leg.
• Return to the starting position with control.

This motion stretches the core while building strength in the legs and improving breathing capacity.

5. Windmills

• Stand with feet together or slightly apart.
• Hinge at the hips and reach toward your toes. Keep one hand on your shin, foot, or the floor, and stretch the opposite arm up toward the ceiling.
• Then, open your chest and stack your shoulders.
• Inhale as you reach up; exhale as you rotate arms and switch sides in a smooth windmill motion.

6. Bird Dogs

• Begin in a 4-point position, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips.
• Contract your abdominal area. Take a deep breath and lift one arm to align with your shoulder as you extend your opposite leg behind your body.
• Maintain a neutral spine and stable pelvis. 
• Hold the position for several deep belly breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth

7. Seated Side Reaches

• Sit cross-legged with a tall spine. Place one hand beside your hip and stretch the other arm straight up.
• Lean gently toward the grounded hand, reaching overhead.
• Keep your opposite hip on the floor and breathe deeply — feel your rib cage expand with each inhale.
• Return to the center before switching sides.

8. Cobra

• Lie face down with your hands near your armpits. Press into your palms to lift your chest gently off the floor.
• Feel the stretch across your abdominals and rib cage.
• Then, hold the highest point you can manage while breathing deeply, then slowly lower and repeat.

9. Bridge

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Arms rest at your sides.
• Press through your palms and feet to lift your hips high.
• Then, inhale as you rise, exhale as you lower — this strengthens your back and glutes while stretching the front body.

10. Supine Full-Body Stretch

• Lie flat with arms extended overhead. Reach your fingers and toes in opposite directions.
• Engage your whole body to lengthen the spine and mobilize the rib cage

For more release, gently wiggle side to side.

“Most people are relying primarily on shallow, upper-chest breathing when they breathe, which means they’re not getting nearly enough oxygen and not engaging their diaphragm the way they should. 

Stretching and diaphragmatic breathing retrain the body to engage the diaphragm and expand the lower lungs — not just the upper chest. 

When we re-engage the abdominal muscles, rib cage, and diaphragm, we improve lung capacity, lower stress, and even enhance posture.” — Dr. Belisa Vranich, founder of The

Breathing Class and author of “Breathe: The Simple, Revolutionary 14-Day Program to Improve Your Mental and Physical Health”

Practice Makes Powerful Breathing

These stretches train your body to take deeper breaths, enhance oxygen intake, and engage muscles that support better breathing techniques — from pursed lip breathing to diaphragmatic breathing. As we age, our lungs lose elasticity and springiness, which can make breathing less efficient.

These breathing techniques are a form of exercise for the respiratory system. Not only can this reduce blood pressure, but it can also aid recovery from asthma, lung disease, or even simply long periods of sitting or shallow breathing.

Even if you can’t master every move today, just sit comfortably, breathe in slowly, and allow your lungs to function more efficiently.

Take a deep breath and start these stretches today to improve your breathing, lung capacity, and overall well-being—and for more support on your wellness journey, check out our Yoga Flow for Beginners!

FAQ's

1. How do stretches improve breathing?

Stretching helps open up the chest wall, lengthen tight abdominal and intercostal muscles, and reduce pressure on the diaphragm, especially when practicing diaphragmatic breathing. This creates more space for your lungs to expand fully, allowing you to breathe in more air and exhale more completely, especially when combined with diaphragmatic or belly breathing.

2. Can stretching increase lung capacity?

Yes — over time, dynamic stretches paired with breathing techniques like pursed lip breathing or deep abdominal breathing can strengthen your respiratory muscles and improve lung ventilation efficiency. While you can’t physically “grow” your lungs, you can train your body to use a greater portion of its natural lung volume.

3. What’s the best time of day to do these stretches?

You can benefit any time — but doing them in the morning helps energize your respiratory system and circulation, while stretching in the evening can help lower blood pressure, support relaxation, and enhance respiratory efficiency during sleep

4. Are these stretches safe for people with asthma or chronic lung diseases?

In most cases, yes — but always consult your healthcare provider first. These stretches encourage gentle movement, deeper oxygen intake, and better use of the diaphragm, which can help manage asthma, COPD, or other respiratory conditions when practiced safely.

5. How long until I feel results?

Many people notice improvements in breath control, posture, and even reduced muscular tension in the chest, neck, and shoulders in just 1–2 weeks with consistent practice. Over time, these exercises can enhance your pulmonary function, oxygen levels, and overall physical activity tolerance.

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